4 Black Radio Stations End Bias Protest

Four black Los Angeles radio stations’ monthlong protest against Warner Bros. recording artists ended Thursday, when the Burbank-based record company promised to increase advertising and promotions on black stations across the country.

Officials of the four stations and Warners announced at a press conference that the company will “redouble its efforts” to curtail any discrimination against radio stations that primarily program for a black audience.

The stations, led by KACE-FM program director Alonzo Miller, vowed to carry their anti-discrimination message to other major record labels, using the Warner Bros. agreement as a model. Miller named regional broadcasters in New York, Chicago, Memphis, Atlanta, Houston and Los Angeles who will act as a liaison panel between record companies and black stations with discrimination complaints.

Programmers at KACE-FM, KGFJ-AM and KJLH-FM stopped playing Warner Bros. records on March 20 to protest poor treatment they said they had received during the February and March tour stops that Warner Bros. pop star Prince made in Southern California. Station KDAY-AM also briefly joined the boycott.

Reports Withheld

Within four days, the stations resumed playing Prince, Madonna and other Warner Bros. performers, but refused to report any airplay to trade publications, such as Billboard and Radio & Records. The weekly publications rely on such reports from radio programmers in order to compile their music popularity charts.

The black stations allege that Warner Bros. and other major labels have consistently discriminated against black stations by refusing them an equal share of concert tickets, advertising and promotional giveaway items, such as record albums and clothing.

When a black performer such as a Prince or Michael Jackson “crosses over” in airplay from black stations to Top 40 stations, major record labels have tended in the past to switch their promotional budgets to Top 40 stations. Thus, promotional sweat shirts with the artist’s picture and name on them, concert tickets, posters and other giveaway items go to the Top 40 stations.